Caught
by Tahti
Summary: Shower scene revisited. And twisted. S2, Jate. Plotless for the time being. Tons of smut. Why? Because I can, hehe. Complete fic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **If I owned "Lost", Kate would be walking into the sunset with Sawyer, and Jack would be mine. ;) But since I don't, let him have the next best thing /sigh-wink/._

**WARNING:**

This story contains significant sexual references. In fact, it consists solely of sexual references. Graphic ones. If not for you, stop right here.

_**A/N:** I had actually planned to write this long before the first piece of mine came out (no, I haven't abandoned it, just felt a need to cheer self up:)), and the perfect moment arrived after re-watching "What Kate Did" in which Kate annoyed me so much that I decided she needs to suffer a fair share of sexual frustration. Lol And so I made her. For the time being, hehe. The draft idea for the story had been all developed and I promise it'll be all good for both of them, eventually, although I can't promise a lovey-dovey ending, since I haven't decided yet. But the smut will be there, big time. Lol _

_Well, you may ask why on earth do I write the smut. Again. Because I can, that's why. Lol. I simply assume, judging by my own experience, there must be more of us here looking for our bit of harmless fun, so after having been given so much of it, I wish to give back. _

_Enjoy!_

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"Kate-"

No more than a low call, but the urgency, the breathlessness in it – it alarmed her. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up: did he know she was there?

Pulling herself up quickly from the arm of the couch, she glanced around instinctively, as if expecting a pair of piercing eyes – his eyes – to be looking right through her in the secluded silence of the hatch and tip-toed up to the bathroom door.

Steam came out through the space where he had left the door casually half-open. Assuming he'd be alone.

Clutching at a folded towel closely to her chest in a subconsciously defensive gesture, climbing to her toes, heart suddenly racing, cheeks heating, Kate tilted her head to peer inside.

The bathroom was indeed steamy and she couldn't see too well through the thick clouds of warm moisture that carried a strangely spicy scent, but she could see him, as water cascaded over his naked body. She drew in a sharp breath and held it, thinking briefly that the word "breathtaking" did, after all, have a literal meaning.

He was turned around from her, facing the plain, grey shower wall and unknowingly displaying his sculpted back to her. Kate's eyes fixed on how odd muscles flexed under the leathery skin of his bare shoulders, how the water ran down the back of his neck, down the hollow of his spine, down his firm buttocks – she suddenly had to breathe upon a sting of a primal need, unfolding somewhere deep inside the darkness of her own body and burning heat crept up her face at the realization that after all, she was only human and it was not in her conscious power to stop the stinging.

Several furious blinks made her aware she had been staring. Isn't that what she had come here for in the first place? And then had been sitting on the couch paralyzed, torn between the sense and want, couldn't have brought herself to leave but couldn't have either to actually peep at him, to invade his privacy, but to see him with guards down, to see him stripped off the defensive layers just as he stripped off his clothes. Kate's mind did take the note that he might turn around any second and spot her, evidently gaping, but she found herself unable to make any movement. This must be what an animal feels in the middle of a highway, she would think, if her brain could form a sentence.

"Kate-"

The gasp came again. She held her breath. He still didn't turn around to acknowledge her presence, could he have had sensed it? Kate froze. His shoulders were raising and falling visibly, as in heavy breath, the gasp barely detectable over the soothing hum of the water. Soothing? All at once it was everything but soothing to her, when it hit her, what he was doing as his head fell back, face directly under the hot stream. He stumbled, but his shoulder found support in the wall, the change in position meaning Kate could now see him almost half turned towards the door. His eyes where tightly shut, brow slightly furrowed, he had a look of total concentration on his face. And he was panting. Her gaze had barely registered the solid chest before dropping straight down, to where he was gripping his hard member in right hand. Sudden wave of dizziness threatened to knock her down to the floor; she swung and rested her arm on the door frame.

Jack Shepard, Dr. Jack Shepard did have the carnal human – _manly_ – needs.

She wasn't sure if it shocked her more than it aroused her, all at once, in a series of tight grasps on her insides, both painful and delightful and she suddenly felt like bursting out laughing, her nerves tense to the point of breaking.

What Kate's mind registered next, was her own name escaping his lips in a soft whisper, when she watched, transfixed, as he slid his tightly clenched fist up and down his length in an obviously well practiced rhythm, the veins on the back of his hand as swollen as the ones on his cock. Cock. Jack Shepard had a cock, she stated, aware of the absurdity of her reasoning. Were all those dreams that clouded her brain for days not good a proof for that? How come she was perfectly able to imagine it, but the reality just left her stunned? Maybe it was because her own pooling warmth reminded her, what he'd just uttered.

"Kate-"

Kate couldn't move.

What was the picture behind those tired eyelids? she wondered.

Was he imagining taking her up against the wall in this very shower? In a rush and frenzy of getting closer, closer, never close enough, in an urge of melting into her? A shiver run down her spine raising goose bumps on her lower back as her mind moulded the scene.

Or was it somewhere in the jungle, surrounded by sticky humidity, in a tangle of limbs, in the rain, still half clothed, rocking her in his lap while she would dig her nails into his bare shoulders?

Or did he want to slide into her tent, slide under her blanket, in broad daylight, and have her there, with nothing but thin fabric dividing them from the people outside, and he'd move cautiously, quietly, muffling her moans with his mouth? Was he pounding into her from behind, unceremoniously grabbing her in a cave? Or maybe she was kneeling in front of him wrapping her lips around him, moistening him with her tongue?

The aching in her body grew painful. He was thinking of her, _her_, while touching himself in this most intimate way, it was the image of _her_ that set him off. Kate's heart swell and she allowed herself to breathe in. She was sure the spicy smell of the humidity was himself, the scent she would recognize everywhere, a mixture of sweet and bitter, spices and cream, water and earth, opposites twisted into a hypnotizing Möbius strip, just which he was. In fact, she had it catalogued in her memory, so maybe that's where it came from now, having nothing to do with the steam.

Her knees could have failed her any moment now, she realized, as the thorough strokes of his hand sped up and he was huffing now, and sparkling droplets of water on his eyelashes made her lick her lips and swallow hard, wishing she would be given an opportunity to kiss them off, but the commanding red of the tight skin over his thick member making her squeeze her thighs together and her inner muscles contort in an aching reminder she couldn't have him inside her.

It would have been so easy to go to him now, so easy to replace his hand with her own, to pull his head down for a wet kiss, before he could even register her actions, so easy to let him peel her out of the damp clothes and let him push inside, claim her as his own, for that brief stop in time and space. It would have been so good to taste the insipid water off of his skin, to have him breathe into her open mouth, to feel the slippery might of his thighs as they would be making their way to in between hers.

Kate sighed. How much more would she take? Her thoughts were racing. Was he simply seeking a release in her? Any other time, would she be replaced by any other woman from the presence or the past in his fantasy? Ana-Lucia, maybe? The way his eyes grew wide with recognition when he first heard the name, here, in this very room…She remembered. Or his wife? Did he still … love her?

And what, just _what_ would happen next, after she'd had offered herself to him? Would he reject her, out of decency, out of pity, out of guilt? Or would he lose control for once and take her hard, without thinking, only to dismiss her later? Or shut her out, like he already did? Say it was a mistake? Kate was desperate for the answers but was not sure she could afford taking the risk. Just what she would do with them, was unclear to her.

As tough as it was, Kate turned away, leaning her back on an adjoining wall, letting her head follow, as she closed her eyes upon hearing him moan her name one last time, and then it was only his heavy breath, subsiding slowly under the hum of the water, and the rushed thump of her heart.

Sudden change in the surroundings brought her to reality. She snapped her eyes open, tensing and deciding it was the sound. The buzz of running water missing and replaced by slaps of his bare feet on the wet linoleum floor. In panic, wishing she could disappear into the wall, she started moving against it, as quietly as she could, towards the safe recess of the corridor. Almost there, almost there, and then she could run, run away, and he'd never know.

"Kate?"

He stepped out of the bathroom buttoning a dusty pink shirt up, his actions stopping abruptly at the sight of her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-… uhm…-" her voice cracked, as she stumbled and looked down on her towel. She cleared her throat. "I came to have a shower." Kate managed to throw a glance to his face.

"Oh." Was all he offered, with an awkward nod, lowering his gaze. With hands returning to his shirt's buttons, Jack went up towards the computer desk, checking the timer, seemingly fascinated by the numbered flaps, and turned his back to where she stood frozen.

"Been waiting long?"

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_Ha, that's it for the time being, more to come, I assure you! All planned for once.:) And reviews make my day, you know._

_p.s. The English language has never been a native one for me, so if you have any suggestions as regards it, go ahead! _


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **Anticipation intensifies the experience, so they say; let's see if it's true for Kate. ;)_

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Click.

The perpetual, maddening cycle of the mysterious timer. It didn't even annoy her anymore, announcing each minute with dull stubbornness; she didn't really hear it anymore.

Once again, Kate turned around on the bunk bed with a laboured sigh. Sleep was nowhere near to come.

She had set an alarm clock deciding rest would do her good, but ever since curling up on the coarse duvet, she kept tossing and turning, unable to switch off her mind.

Inside the hatch it was dim, the little niche were she was lying plunged into deep darkness. All sounds seemed muted, the rustling of sheets fading into silence when she straightened her legs to lay flat on her back. Staring into the invisible ceiling, Kate recalled the day's revelation.

"_Been waiting long?"_

"_Just came in."_ _Her words broke the penetrating silence, sinking into the concrete floor, a fraction too late, she realized, unnerved._

_She watched him, how his whole body tensed and he never turned to face her._

"_I… uhm… well, I guess, I'll just … go back now." Why couldn't she trust her own voice? _

_Kate jerked startled at the sharp click of a timer flap rewinding and spun around, taking one frantic step, only to be stopped dead by the inevitable._

"_I thought you wanted a shower?" _

_She shuffled her feet, clumsily turning back._

"_Yeah, right. Right. I'll…" Her chin pointed towards the bathroom. Jack's front was to hers now, his head tilted slightly to the side, hands shoved into his jeans' pockets, his face unreadable in the shadow of the vault structure. _

_How was she supposed to keep her composure, simply walk into the steam that smelled so much like him, dispose of her clothing and just proceed with plain hygiene maintenance, just like that? How could she consciously ignore the moist air enveloping her oversensitive skin, his scent lingering to it, tickling her, teasing, almost playfully? Did he expect her to step into the shower where the echo of his presence she would undoubtedly still feel with each of her electrified nerves on overload and let the water take over, just as if it was him, tracing his fingers down the outline of her body? Was she supposed to remain adamant?_

_Was that some sort of a game he was playing?_

_The thought brought a new wave of heat to her cheeks. Kate chose to walk into the very bathroom in an attempt to hide her blushing. Away from him. But into him. Jesus, this was going to be harder than she had feared. She stopped for a split second, took an unexpectedly sobbing breath, and turned to close the door behind her, catching a brief sight of him, pose and expression unchanged._

No – she shook her head – he couldn't have possibly been toying with you, that's just not something he does, is it; besides you had just told him yourself, you wanted a shower, end of story.

_Kate's reason was reassuring her that he must had remained unaware of her spying. That he was only following the logical course of events. _

_But her insides couldn't help but twinge with excitement at the possibility of this new side of him that she caught a secret glimpse of, the whole different dimension of him being discovered. _

_Jack Shephard, the lover._

_After all, what did she know about him? _

_That he was the sensible one, the self-controlled one, the reserved one, the reliable one, strong. But there was also some overwhelming intensity to him, the impulsiveness, the unexpected anger which shook her almost physically, underlain by crushing vulnerability._

_She knew him enough to know, he had to understand things, had to dissect them with his mind before putting back together in satisfied cognition, she knew that inability and passiveness and lack of control were driving him insane, and that everything he chose to focus his attention on, he focused it completely, to the point of obsession. _

_To be the object of such intensity sounded almost frightening to her. What kind of lover is he?_

_She wondered staring blatantly at her own reflection in the fogged mirror._

_Which side of him would take over?_

_Kate searched her own eyes as if expecting to find the answer in her heart of hearts. Overpowered by desire, her face changed, she noticed studying it with fascination, the image of Jack appearing behind her, to encircle his arms around her and drop his head to place a sensual, unhurried kiss in the crook of her neck clearly visible across her features. _

_She observed her cheeks taking a blotchy glow, her lips parting and her eyes glazing over, the pupils dilated as if on some sort of drugs while her reason gave in, admitting the drug was his intoxicating tart aroma which cocooned her firmly, oblivious to whatever possible objections._

_Her skin tingled, every square inch._

_Never leaving her own eyes, Kate reached to the hem of her top and pulled it over her head. As if in slow motion, she went on, unclasping her bra, sliding the shoulder straps down, placing the garment next to her top, on the basin countertop. Her fingers didn't linger, she did absolutely nothing to throw the simple actions of undressing out of balance, her movements spare and purposeful. Yet she kept looking straight into her own glassy eyes, the thought planted in her head: what kind of lover is he?_

_Holding her glaze, she stood still for a while, naked, listening to her heartbeat in the buzz of blood rushing through her veins. She looked over to the door. What was he doing? Did he stand where she left him? Did he move closer to the bathroom? Was he just on the other side? _

_Kate's hand twitched at a brazen idea to open that door now, to walk out and straight into him, right now._

_She looked the other way, into the shower. Empty. Relief and disappointment mingling in the strangest of tastes. Of course, it would be empty. She drew in a sharp breath and sighed, throwing herself out of her daze._

_The water was warm, pleasantly so, as she flexed the muscles of her neck, realizing how tense she had been. Her head tilted back and Kate opened her mouth to let the water in, tasting it, swallowing some in an action vaguely reminiscent of a weird virtual kiss. Flat, toneless taste._

_Shampoo. Kate had always thought the gesture of having her hair washed by a man being a highly erotic one. And of all men, by him. Working the skilful fingers through her locks, tangling them, smoothing them, caressing her scalp in slow sensuous circles. Brushing the foam away from her face. Whispering into her ear everything he would do to her next._

_She picked the soap, her gaze falling to it hastily. An indifferent, lifeless cube…In his hands, just minutes ago. Mapping out the unknown territory of his strong body. Her knees nearly gave way and she steadied herself with one arm on the wall. Quick glance to the wall resulted in a tide of humming pulls on her lower abdomen: that's the exact place which he had pressed the breadth of his shoulders to, not long ago at all._

_Head spinning, Kate brought the soap bar closer to her face, close enough to sniff on it. If she concentrated, she was surely going to be able to find the traces of him. Musky, woody undertones hidden in the brisk artificial floralness. She inhaled, shutting her eyes and subconsciously bringing her other hand to one breast, with a light squeeze._

_What kind of lover was he?_

_Was he focused, thorough, attentive, like when he took care of his patients? Hands steady, purposeful, knowing, his touch sure and unhesitant, fearless, as he'd watch intently for her reactions? Eyes born into her, piercing her yielding flesh, burning it with their dedicated attention? Would he like to be the one in control? To decide how much pleasure could she take, to push her to the edge, only to bring her back in an agonizing tease, would he enjoy this kind of power he had over her?_

_She pressed the soap to her cheek, to run in down her jaw-line, down her neck, down her collarbone, to the other breast, gliding it in circles around the tight nipple._

_Maybe he would free himself from the ever-present control? Giving in to the raw instinct, tossing the chivalry, the courtesy, the caution and letting his temper consume him and grab hold of his hands, as he would be roughly gabbing hers, openly using his greater strength to pin her underneath him, part her legs, push inside her fiercely, impatiently, desperately, before she had time to protest?_

_Or give it all back to her, to let her choose the moment, let her set the rhythm, let her kiss his worries away, let himself lose in her?_

_Kate panted when she moved the soap across her stomach while twisting one nipple between her fingers. She brushed the fragrant bar over her inner thigh and brought the other hand to where the sweet urge had been rippling through her body from. In a haze of vivid images of the fingers she had just dipped to massage herself with being his, seeking a release, quiet, liberation, peace of mind - oh, she couldn't take it any more! – Kate moaned softly._

_Just as she dropped the soap to bring another hand in between her legs, just as she arched her back and let her head fall to the side and the water caress her neck like she imagined he would be nibbling it, nuzzling it, licking it while taking her to a dimension where she would become all women of the world rolled in to one with him becoming all men, just as she felt herself approaching the brink –_

"_Kate?"_

_Several hurried thuds at the door._

"_Are you all right?"_

_He sounded alarmed, worried. She froze, taking short, shallow breaths for the inability to still them completely._

"_You've been there for half an hour. Kate?"_

"_Yeah!" She shouted, entirely too loud and in an unusually high pitched voice._

"_I'm fine! I'll be out in a minute!"_

_Damn! She pressed her palms to her overheated face. Damn it! She had to remind herself over and over again that he had no chance to have had actually seen her through the door._

Kate had gathered herself in a rush and had practically ran from the hatch, leaving him confused, mumbling nonsense about something seemingly important waiting for her to be done somewhere, for someone, at that specific hour. Barely even looking at him.

Too scared, he'd have seen straight away, he'd have guessed immediately and then she would have been unable to stop the pull of him, the temptation too powerful, the promise too sweet, and she'd have fallen right into his arms, fallen to place, like a missing piece of jigsaw, sinking into him, melting into him, giving in to the eternal call, which she refused to acknowledge as superior to her individual being.

Frustrated and weary, she had arrived for her night hatch shift after a excruciatingly long day of avoiding Jack relentlessly, forcing a slightly embarrassed Hurley out, informing him in a hurried fib that he'd had just swapped shifts with Jack, who'd have been arriving any second then, letting him assume whatever he wanted to assume, his face visibly flushed upon leaving with a nervous chuckle.

She just wanted to be alone. To collect her thoughts, to fortify and consolidate her cracking battlements, so next time she would see him, a flash of his naked form under that shower, pleasuring himself while whispering her name would not resurface from her mind in an explosion to the defensive walls, maintained so carefully.

To give in, to let him in… Kate couldn't really tell who did she fear for more: herself or him?

Curling up again in helpless desperation, she struggled in vain to keep the very image away from her stream of consciousness. She bit her lower lip. The memory so vivid, technicoloured by her over-receptive senses. He had looked so primordial, so human, so utterly male. Like all the civilized layers on him, all his sophisticated skills and likings, all the complex knowledge and his gentle, self-restrained manner, all disappeared into this raw, real need to be one with her.

Kate shivered, feeling the familiar warmth creeping in, down between her legs. With the timer stating yet another minute dissolve into the past of those quiet small hours, she squeezed her thighs. It did nothing to ease the aching, if only, it was an emphasis. How ironic, she thought, how ironic to be the frustrated one.

A part of her, the mesmerized part which kept rewinding the scene, her profoundly human part, whimpered in the physically painful wish that he would materialize right beside her, so close, wrapping his entire body over hers, that she could absorb him with all five senses, could feel so blissfully whole, safe and right like she did whenever he was near. Forever, for eternity, let the world just crumble and go to hell, nothing would matter as long as they belong to each other.

She was not strong enough.

Finally surrendering, she pressed her hand to the joining of her thighs, massaging herself slowly through the fabric of her worn combats.

_Just what kind of lover is he?_

Kate felt her hips bucking up involuntarily, when she slipped the hand inside her trousers, past the underwear, into her hot wet centre. An odd twitch of embarrassment surprised her at the notion of how wet the thought of his hands replacing her own made her, how quickly. How he didn't even have to touch her to make her ready, ready to be his, eager to be his.

Had he known, would that excite him? Would it test the limits of his patience, of his self-control? Would he want to literally tear the pants off of her, to reach her quicker, in an unexplained haste, as if he couldn't come back for more and more and more?

She worked two curled fingers to her opening, pressing into it, while stroking the swollen clit with the thumb of her other hand, which joined the first one in its rubbing, pressing, pinching, setting the rhythm to match the raising of her hips.

_Jack, Jack, Jack-_

"Jack!..."

She panted out, almost there, almost there, a deliciously tingling spasm foreshadowing the final release grabbing hold of her insides and forcing her tightly shut eyes to snap open.

And to look directly into a pair of intent brown ones.

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_I know, sex with a bar of soap... ;) But you know what's coming, right? ;) I can't keep her on the verge forever, poor Kate. Lol Still, reviews keep me going, so please do. I know that you people are reading, so pretty please let me know what you think, it's not all that complicated. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** Thanks so much for your encouraging reviews, I appreciate them so much! You, my dearest readers, really keep me going! Plus, I had no idea smut stories were so popular, one day and 1000 hits, phew! Looks like there's more of us in the gutter mind department, glad to know. ;)_

_Which is why, I decided to extend this story… ;)_

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"_Hey, Jack, dude!" Hurley's voice tore him out of his reverie._

_His mind had been absent for the whole day, not actually giving in to the thoughts of her, but unable to get filled by the regular responsibilities which he had picked so supposedly reluctantly in the madness which was his life now. In fact, they allowed him the pretence of control over his position, their position, the pretence of making sense, of putting the inexplicable to some sort of order; surely there was a scientific explanation to everything, perhaps it was just the right research hadn't been conducted yet._

_That was why it unnerved him to find his normally busy mind blank, frozen, paralyzed, desperately blocking out the one thought which was threatening to flood his entire being, to overpower, to become his obsession, but to bring a release: her. Kate._

_Could she have …seen? Heard? Jack could have sworn she had acted strangely jumpy. But then again, when exactly had she ever been a mellow one?_

_He tightened his lips flexing his jaw and ran a hand over his forehead, down to the back of his skull, as if to clear the thoughts._

_What was it precisely that drew him to her like a magnet, he couldn't quite put his finger on. Was it her restlessness, her quiet determination in search for the pieces of her better self, deep within her, her irritating stubbornness, her courage? _

_Was it the push-pull of her glowing smile when she looked up to him and her frowned pout, better placed on a five-year-old?_

_Was it the subconscious call of her body, the way her hips swayed, her back straightened, her chin lifted, when she never failed to turn to face him in an involuntary invitation?_

_Ever since she kissed him… Her warm, hungry lips, her cool trembling fingers, trying so hard, so desperately, to pull him into their blind impetuous passion… And the scent of her, the overwhelming milky, heady extract of her seductive lure, threatening to take his control and whack it, challenging his willpower against the sweetest temptation of her hot mouth crushing into his. _

_So he barely moved his own, terrified that if he'd had given in, the way back would have been forever lost, and he'd have fallen at sole mercy of this wriggling woman. Of Kate._

_His head was going to explode, Jack thought, as he stood at the edge of the camp, almost everybody gone to sleep now, staring with unseeing eyes into the seemingly infinite chasm of where the ocean met the starry sky._

"_Hi Hurley." Hurley was right behind him._

"_You know, dude, about the shift swap… Yours was tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted to play that return game, you know, golf, with Charlie, and …erm…, so maybe you could, like, move me to the later one, right?"_

_Jack frowned. What was Hurley talking about?_

"_And Locke is going to take yours? I mean, mine? OK with you? I already talked to him."_

"_Locke is taking your shift?" Jack was trying to make sense of Hurley's babbling, as the shaggy guy nodded._

"_Sure, fine with me, if you both agreed."_

"_Oh, cool, dude." Hurley started to walk away. "Hey, Jack?" he turned around once more._

"_Yes, Hurley?" This was insane. Would they ever make a simplest decision without him being involved?_

"_Maybe you should, like, go now, huh? You know, Kate's there on her own, down in the hatch, you said we should work in pairs, right?"_

"_Kate's alone?" He didn't believe his ears. Just what was going on here? Why was Hurley back on the beach?_

"_Yeah, well, now she is, but you're going there, right?" Hurley mumbled, clearly getting confused himself. _

"_It's only been for when I walked here, you know, she couldn't have fallen asleep or something." Hurley shifted his weight nervously, prepared for Jack to snap at him._

"_Yeah…I'm going… Thanks, Hurley." Jack offered slowly, suddenly distant._

"_No problem, dude," sounding relieved, Hurley disappeared into the night._

What had just happened there? Jack wondered all the way down to the concrete asylum which had also become their prison.

Taking long, determined strides through the humid wilderness of the ripe, lush flora, a torch firmly in hand, he was approaching the shabby door.

Why on earth Kate had send Hurley away from their shared shift, apparently making him believe that Jack had swapped with him? When exactly had it happened? Did he miss something?

For a split second Jack feared he was really losing it. Surely, he would remember making the arrangement with Hurley? Or with Kate?

He hadn't seen her the whole day, after she stormed out from the curiously prolonged shower and out of the hatch.

It was actually only for the better that he hadn't seen her, Jack thought. It gave him time to collect himself, relatively, to silence the demanding suspicion that she had witnessed his moment of weakness, how he had let himself get carried away by the fantasy about making love to her, about her joining him in the shower, coming to him naked and willing and ready for the reaping. How he would take her in his arms, capture her lips with his, water running in between them in steady buzz, how he would squeeze her compliant buttocks and press them hard into his aching groin, how he would tease her small breasts until she would beg him to take her, to come inside her and to let her come.

A shiver ran down his spine at the memory.

It's OK, he attempted to reassure himself, it's only natural to crave sex, it's just a simple, biological function.

But the doctor's tone working so well on everybody else did nothing to him.

Because deep down, he knew it was a lie.

Jack stopped at the hatch entrance, strangely hesitant, suddenly unsure if he could trust himself to face her and entirely lost for words.

Why had her shower taken so long?

Could she have possibly be taking care of more than her cleanliness? Could she have reached into the secret abyss of her longing, could she have succumbed to the primal needs, would she have plunged her own fingers into her hot opening, would she have shut her eyes in abandonment, yielding to sensations, yielding to the deepest desires of her flesh, knowing well that only a thin partition was between them both?

His heart thumped as he entered the murky corridor.

"Kate?" His voice soft and deliberate.

Jack felt his legs growing heavier and heavier, aware of each step, bringing him gradually to the source of what he first thought was a random bit of peculiar music, looped in the record player.

Rustle and puffs and a sharp breath in a gentle moan.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight.

There, in the dusky security of the hatch recess, on the plain bunk bed, was Kate, slanted across the sheets, back arched, neck twisted, hair like a wild halo with a life of its own, eyes shut, lower lip caught between her teeth, and hands caught between her legs, disappearing underneath the unzipped waistband of her trousers.

Jack swallowed hard, subconsciously opening his lips. He felt all his blood rushing to his loins, turning his member into a rock. It was suddenly too hot there, he decided.

She wriggled and squirmed, panting hard, obviously close to release.

He didn't freeze in place, or turn back, no.

Slow, limber steps brought him to the door frame, as if on his legs' own accord. And he watched, hypnotized, the movement of her frail little fingers over the junction of her thighs, wishing for nothing more than to replace them with his stronger ones, with his mouth, with his cock, the craving for this inscrutable woman rocketing from muted to sky high in milliseconds.

Jack had no clue what would he do after she'd have spotted him, but there wasn't a force strong enough in the whole world which could tear him away from what must have been the most erotic view of his entire life.

It was too much, he thought, tortured, the aching in his throbbing cock so painful and threatening to seize him, sweep him and throw him onto her, to grab her hands and pin them above her head, to sink his teeth into the nape of her neck, to grind his hips into hers, stupefied by a carnal longing to unify them both.

The fists he didn't known he had clenched opened up violently as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him when her panting and grunting and gasping formed into a word:

"Jack!..."

And her eyes opened.

As prey and predator, he noticed briefly, they both froze and held their breaths, aware that the slightest movement would set off the course of events which neither of them would be able to escape, fate taking over, nature taking over and leaving them no choice.

She knew it too; he could read it in her clouded eyes.

Yet, Kate surprised him.

Unexpectedly, in rapid, jerky gestures, she pulled her hands out of her pants, with a heavy sigh, zipped the garment up, and propping on her elbows, she brought herself to a sitting position, flattening her palms on the sheets, as if wiping them off.

The scent of her sex went straight to his already rock-hard cock.

She jumped off the bed, visibly shaken. He could tell she was on the verge and the mixture of sensations, the twist of this situation, must have been playing havoc on her emotions.

"Can anyone have any privacy anymore here!"

She hissed fiercely, careful not to meet his eyes, but her voice trembling and breaking, he guessed she was close to tears.

In an attempt to escape, she made her hurried way past him, into the main room, brushing her shoulder against his arm as she went.

With that, he snapped.

His brain on massive hormonal overflow could form no logical thought, driven by a single urge, when he grabbed her wrist with a crushing force, and drew her up against the wall, trapping her with his body, trapping her hand beneath his, and bringing the other one to the side of her head, lacing his fingers into her hair roughly, pushing her slight frame into the flat surface with his obviously mightier one, until there was no air between them, until her soft breasts were smashed against his solid chest, until he could feel her racing heartbeat underneath his own, until the hard evidence of his desire dug unashamedly into her lower belly.

He had barely registered her shocked gasp, but was now transfixed by her wide eyes: so dark, so deep, the ancient forces flickering in a flame that portended to consume him, to subdue him, to burn him to the core, into a pile of helpless ashes; he was not so sure anymore who was the prey and who was the predator here.

Jack felt her go rigid and then limp at his unceremonious advances, so he pinned her tighter to the wall, preventing her body from sliding down.

She was breathing in short, shallow puffs, burning his jaw line, when he brought his face to meet hers in a replay of the kiss she gave him in the jungle.

This time it was his turn to be desperate, hungry and pleading for her to surrender. He covered her whole mouth with his, in a rushed pressure, and then licked her upper lip, taking it into his mouth, suckling slightly, nibbling it. He felt her gasp into him and then open her mouth fully, with no further hesitation, letting his hot tongue explore the delicate flesh, while her own met him in a fiery dance. The kiss was urging, hard, full of long-restrained passion, it went all too fast in bites and soothing licks, in clashing of teeth, as if they both were desperate to get as much of the other as possible, before the bubble burst and they would land back in reality.

She tasted so sweet, he noticed, like fresh water when he was oh, so thirsty, quenching his need for her like heavy rain quenched the tropical forest.

Her hair tangled in between his fingers like silky ribbons, sending his already supersensitive sense of touch to another level, where he believed it was actually those curly strands caressing his palm, not the other way round.

Jack shove his hand deeper, to the nape of her neck, cradling her head and meeting the sensitive skin there, just in time with his mouth frantically exploring her chin and dropping to the hollow of her collarbone in a wet, flushed trail, breathing in the earthy flavour of the pulsating skin over her artery.

She whimpered slightly and clutched the front of his shirt with the free hand, the other still grasped firmly by his own, against the concrete wall in an interlock of fingers, delicate and forceful, creamy and bronzed.

Then he felt her bringing it up to stroke his hair, his earlobe, his shoulder, leaning closer into his feverish mouth, rubbing her throat against his coarse cheek.

He couldn't help but marvel, how exquisite her little body felt against his, how she moulded into him, how hot and alive she made him feel.

She seemed to be enjoying this, he thought, catching a glimpse of her glowing face thrown back, eyelids heavy and lips glistening with moisture of their kisses.

Pushing yet harder, going crazy with all those clothing layers, he thrust against her hips, and eased one of his thighs in between hers pressing lustily there, until he heard a whimper from her swollen mouth.

His own need crying for attention, he let go of her head, and slid his open palm down her side, brushing a thumb over the outline of Kate's breast, lower yet, to where he found the delicious stripe of bare skin, where her top met the trousers, and lower, to cup her through the heavy fabric, while his other hand set her fingers free, and reached behind, to grasp the back of her thigh and bring it over his hip, to give him access where he wanted it so desperately.

With his nose buried in the crook of her neck, he missed a particularly potent wriggle and her hands flying suddenly to his chest, to push him off of her decidedly.

Stunned, Jack lurched but caught his balance taking one step back.

He brought his eyes to meet hers, in complete bewilderment with her actions, and the next thing he felt, was sharp stinging pain on the side of his face.

Kate slapped him.

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_I know, I know, I'm cruel beyond belief! But I promise you that next chapter will be up today (almost done!), and you'll see where I got the idea from, Lol_

_As for my other story, "Deadlock", I have the whole plot developed eventually (how odd to get buttons before a shirt, and that's what's happened there, hehe), just need to check for possible loopholes and then off I go, prepare for a long ride there._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Sorry it's delayed, but I had one hell of a day at work and - I'd never thought I'd say that - didn't feel like having imaginary sex with Jack. ;) I know, crazy, ain't it? Lol So I'm not entirely pleased with that chapter, but hopefully the next one will turn out rounder. Also, you may now see where I was coming at with Kate slapping Jack, but in case you don't, I can hint, that the whole story (plotless smut, let me remind) has something to do with what you'll see at the end of this chapter. ;)_

_Also, I needed to interupt them and slow things down, otherwise it'd be all over before I could blink, which is what I believe would happen if (or should I say "when" ;)) they hook up in the actual show. Later on they may stay in a love nest for days, but the first time? I don't think so. ;)_

_Anyways, massive smut ahead, enjoy!_

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Breathe; he had to remind himself, as he stood there still, chest heaving, eyes on her.

Was he finally going mad?

Was she?

One minute she kissed him with passion and devotion matching his, with her hand in his dark hair, whining into his ear and the next she was slapping him?

Or was it different: one minute he caught her in an uttermost private moment, and the next he was ravishing her forcefully, against the wall, against her will…?

He glanced at her: she brought the offensive hand to cover her open mouth, as if shocked with her own behaviour, following Jack with wide eyes when he lowered his head with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Kate."

He looked up again, biting on his lips and shaking his head slightly.

"I-… don't know what got over me. I'm sorry."

He spoke quietly, growing somewhat disgusted with himself underneath his agitation.

"It will never happen again, you have my word."

Taking two more steps back, Jack raised his hands to the space in between them, in a gesture of separation.

He turned around and lumbered into the oblivious scenery of the main room, trying to shake off an obnoxious impression of the lifeless facilities watching him.

_What_ was wrong with him? He was a grown man, for Christ's sake, not a rabid horny teenager to act like that. His medical knowledge should have taught him better about hormones and their power and _not_ to use it as a determinant in life.

Yet…

…he was only human, not immune to the longing Kate awoke in him. Even, though he had refused to admit it.

Was there something wrong with her? Could she not decide what she wanted? He wondered, slapping himself mentally again: he had no right to blame her for stopping this whenever she felt like. He had no claim of her. Perhaps in that moment of frenzy he had ignored her pleas for him to stop? Could he have not heard them? Where had he crossed the line?

Feeling completely exhausted, Jack collapsed into the chair at the computer desk, resting his forehead in his left palm, away from her.

"You shouldn't be alone on a shift, Kate," he offered dully. "I'll stay here; you better go."

He had yet to face the fact that his disappointment came from way underneath plain impossibility to relieve the overwhelming sexual tension, from underneath the distress of rejection or jealousy, possibly.

It was rooted deeper, reaching his long-forgotten need to belong to a woman completely, and take her for him just as wholly, which Kate seemed to have an uncanny lore how to stir.

Hearing a shuffling noise, he realized she had to be moving around.

Up to the desk, the desk where he remained slumped, he stated in surprise, as two sock-clad feet appeared before him, planting themselves on the floor which he was blankly staring at.

"No, Jack. _I'm_ sorry." What was it exactly in her low voice? Regret? Sorrow?

"Jack…"

A hand brushed his tense shoulder ever so slightly, resting on it hesitantly. "Look at me."

He shook his head.

"Kate, you're right, I deserved it."

Gaze fixed on the floor, drawn to the twitching toes in mismatched socks; he found it heartbreakingly cute.

"Just go, will you?"

Jack watched the feet shifting a little and heard her letting a breath out. A rush of air and a rustle later, he saw a puddle of fabric falling to the floor.

Taken aback, he raised his head, to see Kate had discarded her top and was fiddling with the zipper of her pants. His heart skipped a beat at the notion that her naked belly was only inches away from his mouth.

"What are you doing, Kate?"

Dozens of thoughts raced his alarmed mind at the speed of light.

Why was she taking him on this emotional rollercoaster; he didn't need the chaos in his head, in his heart, on top of the mayhem they all had fallen into, along with the debris of a plane. He couldn't allow himself to be misled into a maze of her whims and empty promises, not without loosing the leftovers of his sanity.

But, God, had he wanted to believe her.

"I was just so… embarrassed… and upset… That you saw… I'm sorry, Jack. I wish I could take it back."

A declaration in a barely audible whisper while her fingers landed lightly over his bicep, tracing the ink pattern there imprecisely. She unzipped her pants, which quickly joined her top in their fall. Just what kind of cruel game she was playing, he thought bitterly.

"Do you think we could…?"

His willpower failed to tear his gaze away from the way she unhook her bra, and slid it off.

Jack made no move, watching her undress before him, until she was only in her panties, standing in between his knees, but never touching him. His eyes took in the peachy tracts of her supple skin, registering the soft curves of her thighs meeting her firm belly, her hips bending into her slender waist, her bashful breasts in perfect balance with her lithe arms. His eyes travelled across her stomach, to her delicate throat, and back again, onto the freckly skin just above left breast, where he could see tiny flutters of her heart beats, and then lower once more, for a glance at the beige fabric which he knew hid the sweetest of secrets for him.

"Jack?..."

He complied and looked up to see a tiny timid smile and affectionate twinkle in her green eyes.

And he was lost, lost in the promise it held, lost in the silent vow to complete him on every single level of his existence, lost in the fire that swore to purge him and keep him warm, not to destroy him.

In the singing silence which magnified each breath, Jack brought his hands up, to place them on the sides of her waist. The creamy skin felt like suede, he thought fascinated by the contrast in colour and texture of his once refined hands on her smooth stomach. He moved them to her front, and encircled her back, feeling for the spine, memorizing the hollow, then drawing his thumbs to either side of her navel. Leaning out as if drawn by gravitation, he closed the distance, and met her navel with his lips, swirling his tongue around it reflexively, tasting the salt of her sweat.

He pulled off, only to feel her climbing to his lap, lifting each leg above and over his, until she was seated, wrapped around him, almost nude, while Jack was still fully clothed.

She seemed content, happy, excited, he noticed in amazement, admiring her little smile and curled eyelashes in spite of himself.

She kissed him. Slowly, sensuously, carefully studying every corner of his mouth, outlining its shape with her busy tongue. He heard his own low grunt, when her fingers went up from the nape of his neck, grazing lightly through his short hair and her tongue darted to his earlobe. Jack didn't think he would grow any harder, but when she pressed her pelvis to his groin impulsively, painful delight proved him wrong.

"What are you doing, Kate?" his voice muffled by a deep kiss.

He had to be sure she was well at her senses.

The light from the desk lamp streaming through her hair gave her an almost angelic look. He wanted nothing more than to trust her, to let her in, to take her and make her his mate, his partner, his woman, to liberate himself by finding completion in her; Jack's hands travelled hesitatingly up her thighs and sides.

"You gonna slap me again?"

"I'm sorry."

She breathed out in between kisses, shaking her head against his brow. He felt her pulling away a bit and saw her staring intently into his eyes. A trace of tears there, but Jack had never seen any woman looking at him this way before. Suddenly aware of each heartbeat, he learned the meaning of a phrase he had thought belonged in thrashy novels: their unborn children in her eyes.

"I want you." she whispered longingly, holding his gaze.

"Oh, God..."

With that, Jack let himself lose in the sensations that her warm body emitted again, he let himself focus on her entirely, drawing her closer, holding her tighter, discovering textures and flavours of her skin where it stretched over her delicate throat, over her yielding breasts, over her toned stomach, inhaling her unique aroma that made her Kate.

He nibbled on her collarbone and pinched a tight nipple lightly, pressing her buttocks towards his hips with the other hand at the same time, drawing a moan and determined to hear that again and again, over and over.

Kate managed to get him out of his shirt and was now rubbing herself against his front, breasts firmly to his chest, her groin on his hard erection restrained by the jeans. Jack gasped, when he felt her fingers dig into the muscles of his shoulders; he was quickly climbing high to the very top of this maddening desire for her, to have her finally, to know her inside and out, like nobody else here have had, to taste every inch of her, drink her, bite her and soothe her, to hear his name on her lips in a daze of lust so overwhelming that she would beg for him inside her and he would oblige by taking her in every single possible way.

So he did just that.

Kissing his way down from her protesting lips, scraping her neck lightly with his stubble, nibbling her collarbone impatiently, Jack bent her back, to close his mouth over one waiting nipple, sucking on it, rolling it in his mouth – oh, how he had dreamt of it those restless nights! - , while rubbing his palm over the other one, making Kate squirm and whimper and gasp as she held on to his strong shoulders and continued to buck her hips against his throbbing cock under its constrains.

Her, only her could quench the desire, only Kate could extinguish the fire while setting it.

He couldn't take much more, he thought, kissing her lush mouth again and sliding his hand down, to tease her deliberately, stroking her through the fabric of underwear. She arched back immediately, giving him better access, and the scent of her need hit him like a monsoon, making his head spin with pure carnal lust.

"Kate, you're so wet – " he breathed into her ear. The thin fabric was soaked.

"And it's for me…" he marvelled, struggling not to come at the very notion, burying his face in her hair, eyes shut.

"Only for you -" Kate gasped and quivered, when he slid his hand into the waistband, touching her slowly, lightly, sliding his fingers up and down her mound, through the curls, and over the edge of her inner thigh.

"Jack, please…" she arched into him in a silent plea, squeezing her legs over his denim clad hips involuntarily.

He smirked against her cheek, and kissed the corner of her mouth, easing one nimble finger into her dripping folds, rubbing in agonizingly slow circles around her opening and back to her aching clit.

Kate brought her mouth to the crook of his neck in what seemed like exasperation and sucked on his tanned skin.

"I saw you, Jack."

She moaned breathlessly just as his tireless skilful hand set up a rhythm of rubbing, pressing into her hot centre, just when he dipped a fingertip into her opening, making her tighten the embrace on his shoulders.

It was his turn to tense while his body hummed.

"In… the shower, Jack. I… saw you…"

She let out in gasps, his fingers working her harder, pressing her firmer, stretching her wider. He thought he could flip her to the floor right now and push inside her, until she can't take anymore, and then push again.

"What did you think?"

He should have guessed she had seen. Somehow, the images of her wide hungry eyes watching as he had pumped into his own fist arouse him even more. Shoving two strong fingers into her hot tunnel and then adding one more, he continued to grind his whole hand into her, eager for the sounds she made.

"I… oh… wanted to… go to you…."

She panted when the heel of his hand hit a particularly sensitive spot. He took note, and did it again. And again.

"Why didn't you?"

Jack could feel his cock twinge in anticipation when an odd spasm of her inner muscles milked his fingers. Her hot breath was setting his shoulder on fire.

"Kate… that's what I imagined…"

He licked across her breastbone, never leaving her wet centre, where he had seemingly found just the right pace, the right spots, he could tell by the way her hips met his every move halfway, how she held on to his neck pressing her flushed cheek there, biting on his skin, squealing in frustration.

"I thought of you…there…with me…." he kept the agonizing tease, not sure if he would endure it himself.

"I would… take you hard, Kate -" he felt her teeth breaking his skin, the pain crushed against the pleasure radiating from his loins.

"I would push you up against the wall there, Kate – " she was riding his hand fiercely and he kept pumping his fingers inside.

"I would take you fast" – he kissed her jaw line roughly "Would you like that, Kate?"

He made his way to her lips.

"I'm so close, Jack…" she whimpered, her eyes glazed. "Don't stop, don't…"

Jack withdrew his hand to place it firmly on her hip causing her eyes to grow wide.

"Kate, Stop. Kate."

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_Oh, I'm annoying, ain't I? ;) Next chapter very soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Finally! Yay:) I apologize to everyone who happened to have been waiting for continuation, that it took me ages to update. I made this chapter three times (3! Three! Lol) as long as the previous ones to make it up for you, with an open-end, so there's always room for more lemons, should the mood strike. ;) What's more, it's 6000plus word count of pure, sheer smut, so much, actually, that I had to take breaks when writing it. Lol I believe I might have just set a new benchmark as regards length of jexy chapters, hehe. ;) _

_Soo… now you will find out why the format of the story… ;) I'll tell you one thing: it works. Lol_

_Also, I had to incorporate contraceptives somehow, I know it can seem mundane, but in real life we have to deal with it and I have a feeling that Jack is the kind of guy for whom no condoms equals no sex (yes, such guys do exist, believe me:)), he's too responsible for that. Where do they have condoms from, you want to ask? And why Jack's hair never grows? LOL_

_Enjoy!_

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"_It will be better", he told her._

_-_

"What now, Jack?"

Kate could barely hear her own voice.

"I don't know."

His eyes opened into the emptiness of the low ceiling above them. She didn't expect him to be awake, his breathing was so peaceful and steady. Kate tried and failed to read his face when he tilted his head to look at her, blue shadows dancing across his features; she couldn't even see those brown eyes in the darkness. But his embrace on her tightened.

"I don't know."

-

_She slapped him._

_Acting on an emotional overdrive, she slapped him._

_The initial shock, fury, shame, frustration fuelled by the sheer lust that swept her violently in a tide the moment he had grabbed her and shoved her up the wall, took her better judgement and send it running into the jungle._

_To give in to him and to run from him – two conflicting urges hit her all at once._

_Without thinking – as if she could have been thinking straight with his intoxicating body pressed tightly into hers, with his hot huffs blowing straight into her ear – she pushed him off and stroke._

_Coming to her senses too late, as always._

_The look in his eyes… So confused and so hurt… _

_It made her realize, if there was ever a line, it had been crossed long ago. They both wanted each other. And the abrupt notion was enough to catapult her into a point of no return. _

_There was no running away anymore, whether she pretended it had never happened and walk away right then, or go back to him. Whether he would reject her or take her back. What she had just learned was that she could not possibly run away from herself, her own needs, her own dreams, her own fears. She couldn't go on pretending that he wasn't what she wanted with all her might, for whatever reason;, not anymore. A thought once crystallized could not be melted again, a word once said was irreversible, she realized. And though no words had fallen from either of them, the message was clear._

_She had to fix it. _

_Heart racing so rapidly that she could feel it in her temples, mouth dry, she went up to his weary form, where he sunk into the chair. Blaming himself, probably, she thought, hating himself. Again._

_How could she have been so stupid? Kate's heart sunk._

"_No, Jack. _I'm_ sorry." She tried with emphasis._

_Still, he insisted that she would leave. _

_If there was anything guaranteed to regain his attention, it had to be it, she thought, starting to undress, wishing so hard to feel his warm hands on her body again, to feel his lips, it had all been so much better than her haunting dreams._

_In an odd rerun of the morning's events, Kate stripped out from her clothes without fumbling, in a simple, unpretentious manner, only this time it was to offer herself to him._

_He watched intently, hardly missing a blink, but careful not to touch her._

_Kate wondered nervously if it was working, if he wouldn't after all assume that she was just messing him up and produce a blanket and insist on putting her to sleep like a stubborn child._

_Relief and excitement washed over her upon feeling his beautiful hands returning to her waist, stroking her tentatively, curiously, tenderly. And then his lips connected with her navel – Kate was sure his heat radiated from the spot to the very tips of her toes._

_Eager not to give him a chance to think, she climbed to his lap, wrapping her legs around his, shivering with anticipation, shivering at the oddly erotic sensation of his fully clothed body against her almost naked one. _

_Her legs gave Jack's hips several squeezes and she leaned in for a slow kiss, meant to assure him, she was his to take, and she was to stay._

_Kate couldn't help but arch her back, when his skilful fingers chose to sketch random designs there, pulling her closer with determined confidence, tighter into his warm embrace, leaving her burning, tingling skin silently begging for more._

_The shirt had to go, Kate decided, desperate to feel his skin against hers, struggling with the buttons, when he brought his own hands up to help her remove the offending garment, teasing his hard nipples with light grazing of her fingernails._

_With a series of rapid breaths, Kate clung to his shoulders, feeling his palm on her breast, teasing deliberately, barely touching her with just the heel of his palm, and bringing his thumb for the lightest of butterfly caresses._

"_Jack…"_

_She moaned, pushing into his palm in a plea for more, but he withdrew his hand, placing both of them on her buttocks next, pressing her to him, so she could feel his hardness. _

"_Jack…"_

_Kate started bucking her hips into his still full clad erection, she couldn't stand the tension, her body betraying her and taking over._

_She was so wet already, she had been before, she was sure it would actually soak through his jeans. She couldn't care less. Especially that with one more hot ardent kiss of his insistent mouth to hers, with the aching friction of his coarse chest hairs on her nipples, with the intoxicating scent of his sweaty skin, his tireless hands made their across heir thighs, into the waistband of her panties , and she could feel his exploring fingers dipping down, finding her overheated entrance and pushing in, just a maddening half inch._

"_Jack…!"_

_Watching her all the time, he encouraged her frantic movements, her grinding into his groin; he pressed on the small of her back to make her arch even further, nibbling on the side of her neck, apparently determined to connect her random moans into a shameless scream._

_If Kate had been close to the brink working on her own pleasure, she was dancing on it now, tiptoeing, while he suddenly bent her, supporting her back and taking a nipple into his talented mouth, rolling it, suckling, biting ever so gently, while stroking her swollen clit, in a movement, which caused her dig her nails into his biceps._

"_Kate, you're so wet…for me…" she heard his hoarse voice, thick with the need to lose control._

_And yet he didn't._

_What would it take for him to lose it?_

"_I saw you, Jack…" Kate decided to tell him, brushing her lips against his earlobe._

_She felt him tense at the realization._

"_What did you think?"_

_Gripping both sides of his face and rushing to press another fierce kiss to his chapped lips, she ran her hands over his short hair, the ticklish texture like freshly cut grass, crisp and luxuriant, a new relish to her palms._

_So many more to discover, Kate's lower belly flustered in anticipation, so many textures and touches and joys about him!_

_Squashing herself to his chest on another impulse, Kate let out a sigh into the crook of his neck and proceeded to probe his earlobe gently with her teeth. She was rewarded with a gasp. _

"_I wanted to go to you…"_

"_That's what I imagined, Kate –"_

_His fingers were now buried inside her, sending uncontrollable shivers over her insides, down her spine, sending her whole body into overdrive._

"_I would take you hard, Kate-"_

_She heard her own moan when his husky voice reached her ear and bucked her hips into his hand. If he continued that, she thought, she could come just from listening to his words._

"_I would take you fast. Would you like that, Kate?"_

_The sweet torture became almost unbearable when Kate let the image form in her mind: herself wrapped around his body, yielding to his will completely, wholly, letting him do whatever he wanted to do to her._

_With heavy panting, she clung to his neck._

"_I'm so close, Jack…" she breathed out. "Don't stop, don't…" she begged him._

_And yet he did just that. He stopped the motion and returned both of his hands to her hips, to steady her._

"_Stop. Kate, stop."_

_Kate blinked confused and opened her mouth in somewhat of a shock, but the warm smile in his eyes reassured her. _

"_It will be better." Forehead pressed to hers, his nose rubbing against hers, he kissed her lips lightly._

"_It'll be better." _

_She could feel him smile against her skin._

_So that's the lover in him. Control firmly in place, she thought. What does it take for him to lose it?_

_Panting heavily in both frustration and anticipation, while he stilled her movements and just held her waist, drawing lazy circles over one hipbone, she took her opportunity to look at him, at his handsome features now smoothed out by sheer bliss, by joy, by…happiness, she stated. He looked happy and she was the source of it, Kate reveled as her own smile widened at the thought. She could lift the burden off from his shoulders, wipe the worry off from his forehead, clear his weary mind just by simple action of touching her bare skin to his._

_Untangling her hands from his neck, she took her time to trace his form with her fingertips, grazing lightly, outlining his temples, jaw, shoulders, chest, as if seeking confirmation that he was real, her eyes following each gentle touch while his fascinated pupils never left her face._

_Reaching the buckle of his belt, Kate finally looked up to him again and leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss, capturing his lower lip with her teeth, the unveiled desire making her confident, bolder, giving her a sense of infallible power over him, the same kind he had over her._

_Like nutmeg, she noticed briefly in surprise, he tasted like nutmeg._

_Feeling him stop the absent-minded caress on her middle and taking a sharp breath, she unzipped his denims and slipped her hand in, to stroke him through the fabric of his boxers._

_Kate shivered at how hard he was, how large he was; she recalled the image from the shower and felt another tide of weakening spasms rippling through her body in unmistakable anticipation: she would have him inside her soon. _

_All the joints in her body losened, all muscles slacked; if she hadn't been wrapped around him, she'd limp in a puddle at his feet._

_Rubbing her cheek across his, reaching with her lips for his earlobe, Kate manoeuvred her hand impatiently past another fabric layer, to get a grip at the hot velvety skin of his shaft. He sucked in on air and squeezed her hips involuntarily. It felt so dizzyingly good to be allowed to touch him this way, to know the effect she had on him, to be able to bring him pleasure…!_

_Kate licked her lips while taking his length in her hand._

"_Jack… when I saw you…"_

_She stroked him once, hard, torn between the need to have him inside and the urge to taste him._

"_I could almost feel it…Feel you."_

_His hips bucked up into her hand while he brought up one palm to squeeze her breast roughly._

"_Feel you with my hands…with my mouth… inside me…" a barely there whisper, tickling his ear._

"_God, Kate…!"_

"_It's so much better…" _

_She continued to stroke him, steadily, slowly, caressing his sensitive tip with her thumb, gliding the clear liquid which portended his ecstasy, their ecstasy, all over and around it._

_The silky hardness was burning her, and she could already feel the convulsions of her insides submerging in a low hum. Just the notions, the sweet anticipation of having him inside made her moan and close her fingers around him in a tight grip, sliding it up and down in a rhythm, she was already familiar with._

"…_so much better, to really feel you…"_

_She started to fumble with his open denims and underwear, fingers shaking, desperate to free the part of him that promised so much pleasure. _

_She ached to taste him, all of him. Wriggling out of his embrace slightly, Kate made it obvious what she had in mind when she started sliding down against him, tugging at his trousers._

"_I want to…" she said, hypnotizing him with a lusty look up and forcing him to follow her efforts to rid of his clothes._

_Jack nodded his head slightly, eyes fixed on her movements. He helped her remove his denims and underwear and shoes, and now Kate was kneeling in between his legs, running her palms lightly across the insides of his muscular thighs. Never breaking his gaze, she closed her mouth around his tip, watching his face tense and then relax in a look of pure bliss._

_He still tasted like nutmeg, she noticed in amazement, how was that so? _

_She lost herself in the sensation of bringing him so much pleasure, of exploring each swollen vain with her tongue, of discovering what pace, what pressure what little darts of her tongue would elicit a sound or a jerk from him. She brought up both hands to aid her caresses, stroking the length of him and squeezing his balls lightly; she couldn't get her mind past the fact that he was, after all, not immune to human needs and that he was responding to her, and was obviously enjoying that more than his everyday reserved demeanor could ever give away._

_Kate looked up feeling a tug on her arms._

"_You have to stop." He said, a slight smile dancing in his darkened eyes._

"_Oh."_

_With a sigh, Kate gave him one last lick along the underside and climbed back to his lap, back to his waiting mouth._

"_I want you so much, Jack…"_

_She couldn't stop her hand traveling down, to get a grip on his thick hardness again. Grabbing her wrist, Jack stilled her hand and unwrapped her little fingers from around him, with a low chuckle and a shake of head against her neck._

"_How?" he asked breathlessly._

"_What?"_

"_How do you want it?"_

_His thumbs playing with the waistband of her underwear._

"_And you?" she couldn't resist._

"_You comfortable this way?"_

"_Perfect."_

"_Good."_

_With that, he grabbed both handfuls of her beige panties fabric and tore it open and apart, drawing a surprised and excited gasp out of her._

"_You know you can't really make a habit out of this?" she chuckled, kissing his cheek._

"_I couldn't resist." _

_He admitted, disarming her completely when he squeezed her buttocks firmly and slid one hand in between them and underneath, down to her wet centre, dipping a fingertip at her entrance again, ever so lightly._

_When he tore her panties a new wave of excitement crushed against her insides; the evidence that he wanted this as much as she did made her heart racing even faster. _

_Frowning in confusion, she registered being bent over and to the side slightly, as he reached for the backpack he had dropped here earlier, pulling out a small packet that turned out to be a condom._

"_Are you gonna tell me, you've planned this all along?"_

_The amusement in her voice betraying her pretence of being offended._

"_You can never be too careful." _

_He shrugged with an equally amused smile. It was good to see him so light-hearted, she decided._

"_I don't really know why I dumped one here, out of habit, probably." _

_His hand was stroking the small of her back and his lips were just an inch from hers._

"_Out of _habit_?" _

_She could barely conceal her itch to laugh out loud. Laugh out in relief and joy and happiness._

_He did that instead and crushed her lips against his with passion so intense, that Kate felt her insides melting, being consumed by the heat radiating from him._

_Tearing the foil wrap, he handed it to Kate and she slipped the thin latex on his hot shaft carefully, meeting his eyes when she was done._

_His expression turned completely serious by then, the playfulness from just seconds ago all gone, as he searched her eyes intently, looking for a final confirmation, she believed, so she returned his gaze opening herself up to him, opening her soul, her heart, not sure what words could she tell him, what were the ones he needed to hear, what were the ones she was ready to say. But her feelings, her desires, her emotions, he must have seen them all, _would_ see them all. _

_Were his eyes reflecting hers, she thought? Was the depth of what she saw there a sign of his understanding?_

_Kate didn't have long to deliberate when Jack placed one more affectionate kiss on her lips, deepening it leisurely, unhurriedly, while guiding her to lift her hips and to lower her onto him._

_She studied his face while sinking, sliding onto his impressive manhood slowly but steadily, every sensation heightened, until she gave in and shut her eyes with a low moan._

_Kate settled onto him, with her stomach and breasts pressed tightly to his firm torso, letting his chest hair tease her budded nipples and just allowed herself to stretch around him, coiling her hips in a single, instinctive twitch. _

_His heart beat was just as frantic as hers._

"_Feels good?" He whispered against her lips._

"_Oh, Jack."_

_Apparently, that was all the reassurance he needed. Kate felt his wiry hands grip her hips and encourage her to move, steadying her, assisting her, but leaving the angle, the rhythm up to her. _

_The room was suddenly spinning. All she could think of, all she could focus on was the notion of having him inside, of being one with him, him, who fitted her so perfectly, who filled her so completely that the intense pleasure was on the verge of pain, but never crossed it._

_She was moving slowly at first, rocking her hips into him, supporting herself on the chair's spindles, on his shoulders, watching his handsome face._

"_It's not a dream." she stated forcefully as if surprised, searching his eyes._

_He held her gaze for a while; letting her gyrate her hips against him, pump against him a little faster now, harder._

"_No." His muttered reply tickled somewhere just behind her ear. "It's not a dream," he whispered._

_Her head fell back instinctively, exposing her throat to him in a perennial submission. He took the invitation, bringing his lips, his teeth to where her neck curved into the collarbone and suckled hard, biting a little, soothing the bruise with his tongue afterwards._

_Recognizing the resonant tingling in her belly, she gripped his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. Just a little longer, just a little harder…_

"_Jack…"_

"_Kate. Stop, Kate."_

_Brow furrowed, face flushed, she met his gaze in frustration and shock when he stilled her movements completely with a firm grip._

"_What," she panted, "what are you doing! What's wrong!"_

_She saw him smiling seductively, the smile she'd never seen, before he nuzzled her neck._

"_It'll be better."_

_With a spent sob, she buried her face in his shoulder, obeying, while he soothed her with lazy strokes on her back._

"_Go on." Jack jerked his own hips up, urging her to pick up the abandoned rhythm, stroking a sticky strand of hair away from her forehead._

_And so she did, pressing her sweaty temple to his, pressing her palms into his shoulders, pressing her electrified wetness onto him, feeling his shaft stretching her deliciously, as if testing her strength, feeling every inch of him, approaching her release shakily now, eyes born into his breaths mingling – _

"_Jack!" _

_Frustration took over when he stilled her again. _

"What _are you doing!"_

_She squirmed, but in vain, as he held her unable to finally ease the maddening aching. Oh, she needed to come, so bad…!_

_He smiled against her face, placing soft kisses on her furrowed brow, on her pouting lips._

"_Trust me." He murmured "It will be better."_

_Throwing her arms around his neck in resignation, Kate waited until her breathing subsided and followed the nudge of his nose to her neck as a sign to start her journey again._

_He was meeting her hips halfway now, bucking up, thrusting up inside her, but without breaking the rhythm she had set._

_Kate kissed him sloppily before clutching his biceps, squeezing his thighs around him and bearing her eyes into his brown depths._

"_Don't stop, don't stop…" she begged him shamelessly "Jack, please…" Kate pleaded in sobs, feeling so close, so infuriatingly close – "I need to…!"_

"_Not yet," his husky whisper and the sensation of his beard rubbing at her chest impending to send her falling immediately. _

"_Trust me, Kate."_

_The agonizing torture resulted in throwing her to a high, where all sensations were doubled, magnified, almost unreal, like when she had high fever and was hallucinating. This time the fever was him, Jack, the man who was so sensual and intense in her dreams but was twice so in reality. Kate found herself abandon all thoughts as she focused on her senses and how all five and each one was able to direct her whole consciousness to him, so that she would stay unaware of anything else._

_The room was silent, save for their frantic breathing and gasping and the sound of their bodies colliding, skin sweaty and flushed._

_He felt so good, so very good, so right inside her, her mind repeated in a loop, and every now and then it would pick an odd sensation, like his hand on her hipbone, or his breath on her neck or her stomach arched into his, to zoom on it and give her insides a random spasm._

_Feeling herself climbing to a cliff with no way back, all she could do was tremble uncontrollably and look pleadingly into his eyes, and he intensified his thrusts when she weakened and slacked slightly against his body, and he watched her face without a word when the tide of ecstasy hit her with a force that she hadn't realized she would be capable to survive, and she was falling, falling, panting his name breathlessly, over and over, her inner muscles contorting powerfully, gripping him within, milking him, as he continued to move, never leaving her eyes and seemingly oblivious to her fingernails digging into his shoulders._

_Kate had never thought she had it in her to come so hard and so long; each movement sent another wave of pleasure through her over sensitized body, so she went on rocking her hips against him lightly, meeting his purposeful thrusts, clinging to him, burying her face in his shoulder after looking straight into his eyes with what must have seemed like a shock for several minutes and wiping the single tear that run down her face. Suddenly she felt fragile and vulnerable, yet complete and serene, all at once._

_This is immortality, she thought, pressing her lips to his shoulder affectionately._

"_I'm sorry,"_ _she whispered seeing the angry scratches that her nails left on his skin and stroking them gently._

_In reply, he kissed her earlobe._

"_It doesn't even hurt."_

"_I've never scratched anyone."_

"_I take it as a compliment."_

_Kate lifted her head and was overwhelmed with joy to find him smiling happily._

"_Do they teach it in med school, the whole…?" she trailed off rubbing her cheek against his._

_Jack chuckled lightly returning her caress. "You don't want to know."_

"_You'll tell me about it." She teased, flexing her inner muscles over his still rock-hard length within her. "Later."_

_With a content sigh, she encircled her arms around his neck, bringing his lips for another kiss, starting slowly, but then pushing her tongue into his mouth hungrily, as if she wanted to absorb him whole._

"_Jack… I want to see you come inside me… I want you to give in, Jack…_

…_Take me hard."_

_She could observe the effects of her words across his features; in his pupils dilating further, in his grip on her tighten._

"_As hard as you can, Jack… No holding back."_

_The excitement in her quickly building up at her own bold invitation and the change in him, the struggle she watched, between desperate need to shed the control and desperate want to cling to it._

"_I need you. Now." she pressed._

_With that, he rose from the chair, taking her along, still wrapped tightly around him, still buried within her as hard as ever, and Kate's body trembled when gravity caused her to sink even deeper onto him, she could now feel him so intensely, so fully, she thought he should indeed never leave, that without him she would be somehow defective._

_Jack didn't go far. He sat her on the desk before him, leaving her entrance briefly, at which she let out a tiny discontented whimper, moving the computer to the side and pushing her gently to lay back. Kate watched him, in fascination, to lean over for a feverish kiss and a rough squeeze of her breast with his palm, and she stretched her legs out and around him, tugging on his hips, urging him back to where he belonged._

_He seemed to have other ideas, though. _

_Running his hands up and down her sides, moving his lips across her chest, stopping to suck lightly on her breasts, drawing a moan from her throat, he caught her wrists as her hands wandered to his hair and neck, and gently pushed them up, to above her head, silencing her protest with a kiss._

"_Stay." _

_He told her simply._

_Kate felt dizzy, her desire resurfacing under his skilful hands faster than she would have thought her spent body allowed._

_Looking down past her chest, now raising and falling with rapid breaths, she watched Jack making his way down her stomach, planting open-mouthed kisses on her feverish skin, moving his hands slowly up her inner thighs. Suddenly a twinge of timidity stabbed her upon realization how exposed she was, lying there with her arms over her head, her legs parted, and him standing in between them, drinking in the sight of her naked body. The muscles in her thighs twitched involuntarily in an attempt to close Kate's legs, but his hands held them down surely._

"_I'm… I've never thought I would see you like this." _

_His voice low and hoarse and thick._

"_I want to taste you," he said into her hipbone, in a soft kiss. "I want to know all of you."_

"_Jack…" _

_She let out in a small whimper, when he brought his face closer to her hot centre to inhale deeply at her scent._

_And then she felt the flat of his tongue licking her up, in a firm, determined stroke, making her jerk her hips reflexively and gasp. Kate was still sensitive from the powerful release that he had brought her to just moments ago, and found herself on the brink already, just with his simple touch and the notion he was there, holding her hips, his stubble scratching the delicate skin of her inner thigh tops and his hot mouth sucking on her, his tongue running in circles, around her clit, her opening, exploring every corner of the hot damp flesh._

_She had never been particularly fond of that type of play; she would find herself too impatient, to distracted, too embarrassed. But Jack…, Jack was so focused, so tuned into her slightest response that he had the power to quickly make her forget the whole world, by tickling just the right spot, nibbling just the right time, sucking with just the right pace, and then adding two long fingers pushing inside with the rhythm he had already learnt._

_As if sensing her release approaching fast, Jack stopped briefly to rub his cheek against her thigh and looked up to see her flushed face and parted lips. _

_Was he going to repeat the excruciating torture of keeping her on the verge for ages?_

_So close, so close, don't stop, she wanted to tell him, but could just gasp breathlessly, gripping the edge of the desk in a white-knuckle grasp._

_His answer to her thoughts was a forceful, deep stroke of his fingers inside her and his mouth landing back on her clit, suckling and licking along its sides._

_And she found herself sent flying again, leaving her body to levitate above them both, when her insides pulsated and her chest and cheeks got flooded with the heat of an orgasmic blush, making her glow and making him smile._

_He kept up the gentle caresses until she laid completely still, catching her breath, hands in his prickly hair, urging him up and then he complied, leaving a trail of wet kisses from her lower abdomen to her neck, to her lips. _

_Kate found the taste of herself on him strangely arousing, despite her body still coming down from a shattering orgasm; no, she decided, he had brought her to some kind of plateau, where every single touch, every word, the scent of his glistening skin, could easily throw her riding another wave of sweet satisfaction._

"_I don't know, if I believe it." _S_he sighed into his mouth contently._

"_I don't know, if I do." _

_And with one easy stroke, he was inside her again, gripping the backs of her thighs, pushing deep inside her, and then pulling away deliberately slow, almost fully, watching her face, when she searched his own._

_Kate propped herself up on her elbows to look down where they were connected, mesmerized by the sight of his hard cock disappearing in the slick depths of her own body, feeling every inch of him stretching her further and taking her consciousness away with the overload of sensations._

_She saw he watched them too, his gaze lowered, his face concentrated, the muscles beneath the sweaty skin on his chest twitching, flexing, like when she had observed in the shower. _

_Kate suddenly felt an urge to touch the tattoo on his inner arm, to run her tongue across it, so she attempted to sit up, but was stopped with his hands taking each of her legs and bringing them up to rest on his shoulders._

_Deeper now, he went deeper, buried himself to the core, probing on her insides barefacedly as if invading her body, but not without an eager invitation of her muscles tightening around him, intentionally, to make him pump harder, thrust faster, to make him lose himself within her._

"_Harder, Jack," she panted "I know you can go harder… I know you want to…" she bucked her hips up to meet him._

_He dug his fingers into her hips and did succumb to the seduction, ramming into her with what seemed like full force, making her grip the desk edge again, for support this time._

"_How does it… feel, Jack…? Tell me… how it… feels…"_

_She panted out feeling the plateau taking a turn upwards and not believing she would be ready for this; she was just floating in the sensation of being fully his, of him giving her everything he had, and so anxious to see…_

"_It feels like home, Kate," he gasped breathlessly. "It feels like coming home."_

"_You're so hot… so tight… so…alive." _

_He told her huskily in between powerful thrusts, staring down to them and then meeting her eyes._

"_You feel like everything is going to be OK," she replied smiling at the chuckle it drew out from him. "Like all is right about the world."_

_He turned his head to kiss her ankle firmly, wholeheartedly._

"_Be mine," she said softly._

_His breath and pace quickened further, to hammer into her with a power that Kate was sure would leave her sore the next day. _

_And she was looking forward to it._

_He was panting now too, huffing, taking her so hard as if to break her, rip her apart, so she could die the sweetest death while he would follow her, his eyes dark and his jaw set. _

_Hastily, his hand found its way to her clit, he pressed there, but must have found it frustrating how the one-handed grip on her hip meant he couldn't pull her up just as close as he needed, so he replaced it with her own palm, pushing her fingers into the wet folds, the way his had been buried there, urging on them to bring her release._

"_I need you to come, Kate," he breathed out. "I'm not gonna make it much longer. You have to come..." _

_He insisted still thrusting in and out of her, making her shiver each time he came back to poke on her insides, squeezing her buttocks firmly._

"_It feels good to have you in…" she shook her head slightly, convinced that her body couldn't take anymore, not now, but not worried at the slightest. _

"_For me, Kate…" _

_He didn't plan to give up. _

"_Come for me… I need it. Please, Kate…"_

_He pulled her up even closer, releasing her legs down, parting them even further, hovering over her, hitting her so hard now that she could feel his taut balls against her buttocks and the base of his shaft pressing against the underside of her clit. The slight change meant he was now reaching the most sensitive spot deep within her, and she had never removed her hand from their joining, but kept rubbing her fingers across and around her clit, so heated that it was almost painful to touch._

"_I can't…"_

"_Yes, you can. For me…" he grunted._

_Kate squeezed her eyelids shut for a moment, concentrating on the tingling sensations in her belly, bringing her other hand up to her mouth, licking her fingers and then moving it to stroke her nipples, to cup her breast and pinch it, hold it tight._

_Her hips were now bucking up in time with his fierce rhythm, with his primal animalistic force, out of their own volition, driven by instinct which she had no authority over._

"_Kate, Kate-"_

_Her eyes snapped open to see him pound into her with the control finally gone and forgotten. _

_Almost painfully, almost too rough, her name on his lips in a litany of pleas and prayers and odes and she watched in awe at his tensing face when he gave her the last several irregular thrusts which, to her surprise, triggered the release in her, he had so desperately chased. It overwhelmed her entire being, reaching to the core of her soul, as if he poured himself, his own soul, his life into her body, along with his seed._

_Kate found herself holding her breath and making no sound when she rode the unexpected, violent gust of her high, intensified by the look of his eyes, look _into_ his eyes, which at that very moment held all answers to all questions she was ever going to ask in her whole life._

_Jack leaned down as if to collapse on her, but supported his weight with his arms by the sides of her shoulders and reached out to capture her lips with his, in a worn out kiss._

_She wrapped her arms around him when he dipped his head to nuzzle her neck. _

_Both exhausted and languid in their afterglow._

_Sighing labouredly, Jack propped her up slowly and she sank into his chest limply, breathing in the bitter musky scent of his fresh sweat._

"_How long till the next shift starts?" he murmured into the top of her head._

"_Jack,_ you_ set the shift schedule…!" Kate chuckled lightly._

_A snort of laughter was his reply._

"_Come on, let's catch some rest."_

_And he left her body cautiously, drawing a soft moan of disappointment as he went._

_Jack placed one more swift kiss on her lower lip and squeezed her hand, taking a step forward, towards the niche where he had found her earlier, lost in the haze of passionate fantasy about him, urging her to follow._

_They climbed onto the narrow bunk bed, clinging to each other, Kate wrapping herself around his body, entwining her legs with his, draping one arm across his chest, cradling her head in his shoulder. He held her tight, stroking his fingers over her forearm, sighing twice, as if lost in thoughts, and then stilling completely, his breath evening out, his heartbeat returning to its steady, comforting rhythm._

_Kate presumed, he had fallen asleep._

_Tentatively, careful not to wake him up, she traced a fingertip over his sleeping face, memorizing the angle of his brow, the shape of his nose, the coarseness of his stubble, the curve of his chin._

_She felt content, complete, satisfied, fulfilled, safe… - like she had never felt with any other man. _

_Maybe with Tom… But she'd been so young…_

_Back then, she'd be ecstatic before anything else, but still restless, not being able to get enough of him and not being able to stop. _

_Now she laid here, basking in the newly discovered sense of belonging, of peace and safety._

_Jack brought out the best in her; he silently challenged her to overcome her fears, to confront her desires, to rise from her fall. He unknowingly taught her how to be whole by herself, how to be complete. She didn't really need _him_ to complete her, and yet she did, she wanted him to be near, to keep the encouraging, challenging, having faith in her._

_No more running, Kate thought;, she'd thank him every day and return to him every night, to show him what he did to her, how he taught her to embrace and accept all of her, simply by accepting it himself._

_Would he allow that…?_

"_What now, Jack…?" _

_She asked herself, only to jerk at his unexpected words._

"_I don't know." Honesty._

_-_

"Can I ask you something?"

He brought his fingers up to play with a random strand of her brown hair.

She nodded in the darkness.

"Why did you run?"

With a heavy sigh, Kate turned around in his strong arms, to face the ceiling.

"I... did horrible things, Jack. I was up for _decades_ in prison…-"

"No, no. That's not what I'm asking. Unless you_ need_ to tell me, I don't need to know. I don't care."

She turned her face up towards his, surprised.

"Why did you run from me?"

Kate could then follow the track of his mind.

"I…- I thought you didn't want it. You didn't want me." Her voice low and trembling slightly.

"Oh, Kate-"

He crushed her in his embrace then, bringing her face to the crook of his neck.

"Do you know now…?" He whispered affectionately.

"I think so." She pressed her lips to his collarbone.

"Good."

An abrupt knot forming in her throat told her she was going to cry any second.

"Where are you going?" He asked, obviously taken aback when she started to climb up and out of the bed.

"To push the button." Kate smiled reassuringly, even though he couldn't probably see it very well.

"I'll do that."

"No, no, stay here, I'll go."

"Kate-"

Something in his tone told her, he was afraid she might run again.

"I'll be right back." A kiss to the hand that gripped her own.

And so she was, clutching their clothes that she had picked on the way, fumbling around them, moving up swiftly, writhing against him, straddling him-

"What now, Kate?" he echoed her words.

"How about this?" she produced a small foil wrap.

Just as Kate had hoped, he wasn't able to suppress it and she would hear the carefree laughter again.

"Now, are _you_ gonna tell me, you've planned it all along?"

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That's it, the end, finis! So do you think I missed my calling and should contact the Harlequin publishers immediately or should I stick to my day job and promise to only ever write weekly construction site reports from now on:)


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